I Will Protect You
by Phantom of the Rocky Labyrinth
Summary: Wildhorn's Dracula das Musical. Helsing will always protect Mina. But what happens when he can't hold his feelings back? "And then, before he could think about how it might affect her, or what the consequences may be, he bent down and kissed her."
1. Vows and SlipUps

As they ventured deeper into Castle Dracula, Helsing kept Mina close, holding her hand tightly within his. He led the way cautiously, trying to keep his mind on the mission and not how much he wished Mina didn't have to be there. This was not the time to focus on his feelings. Knowing how much danger he was in didn't faze him; he wasn't afraid of Dracula. To be more precise, he wasn't really afraid of anything – what did he have to live for? Roseanne was dead, and Mina would never love him. She had a young, strapping boy to love. She had Jonathan – her husband. But knowing that his feelings would never be reciprocated, and that he shouldn't be feeling the way he did at all, didn't keep him from doing so.

No, he wasn't afraid for his life. He was afraid for hers. The place that they were creeping through was dangerous for any living soul to enter, especially so for the current object of Dracula's affections… No, not affections. Interest, that was the word. Or obsession. Vampires cannot love, he reminded himself. They only care about themselves, their hunger, and their need to take advantage of innocent humans. Innocent humans like Roseanne… And Mina.

He must have tightened his grasp on Mina's hand involuntarily in his anger, for she let out a tiny gasp of pain. Loosening his grip immediately, Helsing felt even more angry now, but with himself. How could he take his anger out on Mina, no matter how unintentional? His thoughts of self-hatred were interrupted, however, when Mina spoke.

"Is everything alright?" she whispered timidly. He chanced a glance back at her; fear was showing clearly in her eyes. Those eyes begged him, pleaded with him to relieve her of that fear. He wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and kiss her, hold her and tell her he loved her. But he would not. She needed reassurance, needed him to be strong in her hour of need. And he'd be damned if he wasn't going to try.

"Yes, dear Mina. I was only thinking," he said, keeping his eyes forward. He saw her nod uncertainly out of the corner of his eye.

They continued on, Helsing constantly on the lookout for any vampires. He knew that the others were trying to find Dracula, but he also knew that Dracula was very clever and would most likely evade them very easily. Not to mention those vile wives of his, they were sure to be on the prowl tonight as well.

All of a sudden, Mina doubled over and let out a choked sob, stopping him in his tracks.

"Mina?" He asked, turning to face her. She had gone very pale and was trembling, squeezing his hand tightly for support. Her eyes were far away, unseeing.

"Quincy is dead," came her broken reply.

"Are you sure?" She looked at him then, her eyes full of pain and sadness.

"I know it."

His heart broke for her. He had been through much pain in his life, but couldn't imagine what she must be feeling. Lucy had been turned into a soulless, bloodsucking beast, and then had been slain. No matter how necessary the slaying was, the necessity could not have taken the pain of losing one's best friend away. And the very man – no, not man, creature – who had damned Lucy to her fate was now manipulating Mina into believing that she actually wanted to be damned to the same fate. Manipulating her into thinking that she loved him, needed him, couldn't live without him.

Despite all of this, they had to keep going. If they stopped in one place for too long, Dracula would surely find them. With one last long look into her beautiful, tortured eyes, Helsing turned back and began to walk again. Mina stayed where she was, tugging his hand to make him stay, too.

"I'm frightened," she whispered, voice laden with unshed tears. Helsing squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"I know. But we must not stop; he will surely find us if we do. I promised that I would keep you safe." Again he turned to keep going, and again she tugged him to a stop.

"Please," she pleaded. "Please don't make me do this anymore."

"Do not fear, dear Mina. I will protect you. I would die before I would let anyone hurt you." She brought her hand up to his face, caressing his cheek lightly with her fingers. It took everything Helsing had not to close his eyes and lean into her touch.

"I know. And he would kill you without a second thought," she replied sadly. "I could not bear to lose someone else. You have been so kind to me, and I am so grateful. Please, go on without me. Leave me here, so that I may fulfill my purpose." Her voice broke as the tears began rolling down her cheeks. Helsing was horrified that she would even suggest such a thing. He brushed her tears away with his thumb, hating to see her in such emotional turmoil.

"What purpose do you mean?" he asked, his own voice nearly breaking.

"Only I can stop… D-Dracula. I fear that no matter hard you try, you will fail. Let him find me. I will sacrifice myself before letting anyone else die." Helsing's jaw dropped. After all that she'd been through, and the fear she was feeling, she was still so selfless. She would give her own life to protect his. Gathering his wits, he replied.

"I cannot let you do such a thing. I will not. Your life is too precious to be wasted. You say you will sacrifice yourself, to save others. No. Never. But I will sacrifice myself to save you." Mina turned her downcast eyes to his. She knew that he cared for her, and that he had vowed to protect her, but was taken aback by the conviction in his words.

When she looked at him, Helsing was suddenly overcome by a wave of emotion. All he could think was, _What if he finds us? He'll kill her, and I will live with her blood on my hands. I will never see her again. I will never kiss her, or tell her how much I love her. I will never have the chance_. His breath hitched with another thought, a realization. _This could be my last chance_. And then, before he could think about how it might affect her, or what the consequences may be, he bent down and kissed her.

Mina stiffened, shocked at his actions, and didn't respond. But she didn't push him away, either, and all that Helsing could focus on was how her lips were so soft and warm against his, and how they felt more exsquisite than he ever could have imagined. He wrapped his arms around her, desperate to touch her while he still could, desperate to make sure she was actually there.

Once Mina regained her wits, however, she pushed him away, afraid and upset and terribly confused. Helsing immediately let go of her when he felt her resistance, stepping back as the reality of what he had just done set in.

"Mina, I apologize, forgive me, I don't know what I was thinking, I should not have done it…" He trailed off when he saw the tears rolling down her cheeks again, heart wrenching. "Oh, Mina, do not weep. Please, do not weep because of me." She stared at him through watery eyes, and asked one simple question.

"Why?" Helsing blanched. He didn't want to tell her this way, he didn't want to tell her at all, but he knew he could not refuse her an answer. Opening his mouth to speak, an apology written all over his face, he was relieved when Mina took back her question.

"No, don't tell me. I do not wish to know. My heart cannot take anything more. Jonathan is my husband, and I thought that I loved him… And yet, when Dracula is near me… I cannot resist him. I feel more passion in his presence than I ever have in Jonathan's. My heart swells and I feel as though I could never love anyone more than I do him. Jonathan loves me, and yet I have been unfaithful to him, in so many ways. I do not deserve him, and yet he protects me as best he can because he still loves me. And now this. You kiss me and speak as if you feel the way about me that Jonathan does. I cannot bear it."

Helsing longed to wipe her tears away once again, but he knew that he could not, for these tears were his fault. He had no right to touch her, no right to be in her presence. But he needed to reassure her, to set her straight.

"It is not your fault, what you feel for Dracula. He has manipulated you, twisted your own mind against you, like he did to Lucy. The emotions and…" he swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry as he realized exactly what had happened the night they had saved Mina from Dracula's grasp. "The emotions and… passions which Dracula evokes in you are false. They hold no substance, and as soon as he is vanquished I hope that you will realize this." He had avoided her eyes throughout his speech, and continued to do so until Mina placed a hand on his cheek, turning his head and forcing him to look at her.

"I do not blame you for your actions. We are all under great stress and I realize that you fear for my life. But please, I beg of you. Leave me here. Find the others and do what you can." Helsing looked into her pleading eyes, and suddenly an idea struck him. Fishing in his pocket, he pulled out a vial of Holy Water.

"I am going to enclose you within a circle of Holy Water. If you do not step outside of it, you will be safe." Mina nodded, her eyes wide as she watched him pour the circle. Helsing looked down into her eyes one last time. "You must not step outside of it," he repeated. She nodded.

"I understand," she said in a trembling voice. He took her hand in his once more, bringing it up to his lips and brushing a gentle kiss to her knuckles. "Be safe," she whispered. "Be safe for me."

And then, against his strongest instincts, Helsing dropped her hand and walked away. He didn't look back.


	2. Explanations and Comfort

Helsing tore through the castle, searching desperately for Mina. He had vanquished the three brides after a fierce battle, and his right arm was in great pain from a nasty fracture. It was incredible that he was even alive, and even more so that his arm was the only part of him that sustained any serious injury. Still, he did not dwell on the pain, rather, he focused on getting to Mina. He was so focused, in fact, that he nearly collided with Jonathan after making a sharp turn around a corner.

"Helsing," Jonathan said confusedly. "Why are you here, alone? Where is Mina?!" The younger man shook Helsing by the shoulders, causing him to groan in pain.

"I left her in a ring of Holy Water in a room down the hall," he said through clenched teeth. "If you would let me go, I could take you to her." Jonathan let him go immediately and took a step back.

"Well? What are you waiting for? We must go to her!" Helsing nodded, grimacing, and set off again. Jonathan began berating him as soon as they were in motion.

"How could you leave her alone like that? She's already vulnerable while he's connected to her, and then you just go flouncing off and leave her by herself!" Helsing didn't reply, and was saved from needing to at all when the sound of Mina sobbing reached their ears. Jonathan pushed past him and entered the room first, only to stop dead in his tracks at the sight of the scene in front of him. Helsing, close on Jonathan's heels, stopped as well.

Mina sat gracelessly on the dirty floor, holding what appeared to be a ceremonial dagger in her hand and a lifeless Dracula in her arms. She was sobbing into the monster's shoulder, but turned her tearstained face to meet Jonathan's eyes when he barged in. They stared at each other for what seemed to be an eternity, Helsing glancing nervously between them.

Jonathan's face held a strange mixture of horror and relief, the same two emotions prevalent in Helsing's mind. Horror at the thought of what Mina just had to do, and relief that the battle was finally over, finally won. But as Helsing watched, Jonathan's face morphed into a mask of pained anger, and he rounded on the vampire hunter.

"Why is she so upset?" he asked fiercely.

"It would seem that Mina has just taken the life of this… Creature. No matter how wretched and undeserving that life was, I am sure that the act of killing has distressed the poor girl. She has compassion, misplaced as it may be, not to mention that she has been manipulated by and emotionally entangled with Dracula for months," he replied, struggling to keep his voice calm and not just throw the explanation out of the proverbial window so he could go comfort Mina.

"You know what I mean," Jonathan hissed. "You said that as soon as Dracula was vanquished, the link would be broken and Mina would realize her true feelings. That hatred would set in and the ridiculous notion of that… _Thing_ being her love would vanish."

"You misquote me," Helsing said, the anger he felt beginning to seep into his voice. "I indeed said that the link would be severed in the event of Dracula's death, however, I said that her judgment _may_ clear. It was never a sure fact, and now-" His explanation was interrupted by a soft plea from Mina.

"Stop," she implored. "Please, stop fighting about me. I-" She stopped abruptly, realizing that she was still on the floor, holding Dracula. The two men watched silently as a few more tears slipped down her cheeks and she kissed his forehead lovingly, then carefully maneuvered out from underneath the creature and laid him on the floor. She closed his eyes delicately and crossed his hands over his chest before standing and brushing off her skirt. Wiping her face clear of tears, she continued.

"I cannot bear any more fighting, or violence, or hate. I feel so ill that I can barely breathe. I'm terribly heartsick and I have no idea what to do now…" she trailed off as Arthur and Jack entered the room, carrying Quincy's mangled body. Mina let out a strangled cry and fell to her knees, the tears falling afresh. The two men quickly set Quincy down in the corner where Mina couldn't see him, then joined Helsing to watch the young woman come apart. Jonathan finally went to her, kneeling beside his wife and taking her into his arms. She surprised everyone present by pushing him away and crying even harder. He recoiled at her resistance, shocked and hurt.

"Mina, darling, what is it? Why do you push me away?" she closed her and turned away from him.

"I d-do not deserve you," she replied brokenly. Jonathan tried again to embrace her, and again she pushed him away. "No!" she said forcefully. Then, more quietly, "Do not t-touch me. I have b-been unfaithful to you, and you deserve better." Jonathan shook his head, unsure of what to say.

"It's not your fault," he tried. When she didn't respond, he tried again. "I love you still, for I know that what happened between you and Dracula that night was not your choice. I know that you were under his spell and you could not resist him." Mina turned to him then.

"Why can you not see?" she asked, frustrated. "There was no spell. I asked for him to come! I called him! Everything I did was of my own volition. When I came to him tonight, I asked him to make me as he was. I begged him to turn me into a vampire, so that I could be with him for all of eternity. He refused me, told me that my life was too precious to waste. That if I truly loved him, I would set him free from his dark misery. And I did. I set him free." Jonathan gazed at her for a moment before replying.

"I know that you believe what you say. But I do not. Mina, please, I am your husband. Let me comfort you. Let me love you." He reached for her, but she flinched, then scrambled up off of the floor and backed away from him.

"Please," she whispered. "I… I cannot bear for you to touch me. Leave me alone. I have to think."

"Leave you alone?" he asked incredulously. "Where will you go? You certainly cannot stay here, and-" Mina cut him off.

"I'll stay with Lucy, she will help me. I know she will." She looked around when no reply came, and Helsing took a tentative step forward.

"Mina, dear, Lucy… Lucy has passed on. Surely you remember?" he asked gently, reaching out with his good arm to take her hand. Realizing the fault in what she had said, Mina covered her mouth with her hand as her face crumpled. Jack and Arthur looked at each other stoically in an attempt to hold back their own tears, they had been making the same mistake lately. Forgetting that their precious Lucy was dead and gone.

Instead of flinching away from Helsing's touch, like he expected, she threw herself in his arms and wept onto his shoulder. He bit his tongue to keep from groaning in pain, holding his injured arm safely away as he patted her awkwardly on the back with the other. He knew that his arm would need to be set and splinted soon or it would not heal properly, but couldn't bring himself to say anything, for Mina was there in his arms, desperately seeking the comfort that he offered.

"Shh, Mina, hush now," he said softly into her ear. "You will get through this. We all will." He saw Jonathan from her shoulder, eyes blazing in anger that his wife was in the arms of another man when she would not let him touch her. Mina sniffled, then caught sight of Helsing's broken arm hanging at an awkward angle and gasped, quickly backing out of his embrace.

"Oh, why did you not say anything?" Mina asked reproachfully. "Where is your bag? Surely you have bandages in it. We need them to dress your arm," she said, wiping her eyes free of tears as best she could. Helsing grimaced, for although she was right, he really didn't want to be the center of attention at the moment.

"Mina, don't worry about me," he started. "My arm will be fine, and-"

"No, it will not," she interrupted. "Not unless it is set and dressed properly. Now, I cannot set the bone but I am sure that you know how. Come with me," she said, having found his supply bag. When she took his hand to lead him away, Jonathan spoke up.

"Why can't it be done here?" he asked, a definite angry edge to his voice. Mina didn't let go of Helsing's hand, though, instead trying to tug him to the next room without an explanation. He stood fast and pried their hands apart, brushing past her to speak with Jonathan in semi-private.

"Let me handle this," he breathed into her ear as he passed. She nodded ever so slightly to signal her understanding. Helsing led Jonathan into the corner and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Jonathan," he said in a low voice. "This is the perfect opportunity for me to examine her - while she is distracted with tending to my arm. It may be the last time I will be able to assess her, for I do not believe I have much reason to stay in her life any longer. Now that Dracula is dead, I have no place with you two. But I can help you this last time, if you let me," Helsing explained. It was partially true; he didn't believe that he had any place in Mina's life now, and this would probably be his last chance to be alone with her. But he was lying through his teeth about the 'assessment,' – it was just a reason to say goodbye in private. "And she is right, my arm does need to be bandaged," he finished with a half-smile. Jonathan nodded curtly, shrugging Helsing's hand away.

"Fine," he growled. "You have ten minutes. After that, I am taking her home. She has been through enough." Helsing nodded in return, then returned to where Mina was standing, fiddling with the handles of his bag. She raised her eyes to him and he offered his hand, giving hers a reassuring squeeze when she took it, and led her out of the room.


End file.
